In animals, the term 'landrace' is taken to mean a type or group derived from a specific population but not yet formalised into a consistently replicable breed, or the specific natural population from which a breed derives.

Many landrace types are known but have not been systematically evaluated, codified, or analyzed, Thus it is likely that the best-yielding, best-tasting, and best-handling types have not been isolated or created out of the massive gene pool.